The Democratic Party is walking on thin ice....

[Lydia Leftcoast]

193. Here's what I think Kentuck is saying

The first rule of negotiation is always to start by asking for more than you think you can actually get. You may end up getting only 50-75% of what you want, but it will be a net gain.

Ever since Reagan, the Dems have had the infuriating habit of STARTING by asking themselves what the Republicans will accept. BZZT! Wrong answer!

What the Republicans will accept is usually less than 50% of what the Dems want, but the Dems make that their opening offer, and the Republicans, SENSING WEAKNESS, chip away at that further. The Dems end up with 25% of what they want, and the Republicans end up with most of what they want.

Note that the Republicans never start by asking themselves what the Dems will accept.

The voters hate weakness. They were scared away by the sheer awfulness of the Republican candidates this election, but if the Dems continue to be milquetoasts in the face of Republican attacks, it will undermine the voters' confidence.

Here's what the plan should be: Start with strong, bold anti-Republican (e.g. raising the cap on Social Security, gradually lowering the age of Medicare by five years each year so that it's an option for everyone within 12 years, cutting the "defense" budget, etc.) proposals and use TV time and news conferences and local Democratic Party organizations and Congresscritters who are visiting their home districts to push those ideas relentlessly. The Dems should put their quickest witted, most entertaining speakers on the CNN and other talk shows to make the Republicans look ridiculous. If the Republicans still block the proposal, the Dems should go into full blame mode. "It's the Republicans fault that long-term unemployed 60-year-olds aren't eligible for Medicare."

Strength. Fortitude. Courage of their convictions. That's the key.